Missile shield to break strategic balance - Serdyukov

December 16, 2011, 5:01 UTC+3Their introduction will not demand major costs and time,” the minister said

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MOSCOW, December 16 (Itar-Tass) —— The deployment of the U.S. missile shield in Europe will break the strategic balance of forces and Russia will begin to take responsive measures after the first missile defense elements appear in Poland, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper published on Friday.

“We cannot allow violations of the existing strategic balance which will result from the unilateral deployment of the missile defense system in Poland,” he said.

“As for today we have information the United States is planning to deploy anti-missile (Srandard-3) complexes in Poland. Thus, a threat to our strategic nuclear forces will definitely come from there,” Serdyukov said.

“As soon as any missile defense elements appear in Poland we shall take adequate response measures. One of them can be the deployment of Iskander missile complexes in Kaliningrad region. We shall definitely deploy them if the Supreme Commander-in-Chief orders us,” the defense minister said.

He added the first response was the deployment in Kaliningrad of a missile attack warning radar. “Other measures declared by the president of the country will be implemented only as response steps adequate to the level of the emerging threat to Russia,” Serdyukov stressed.

He added Russia will also equip its missiles “with a corresponding complex” to break through the missile shield.

“The same is with all other tasks. The military science and industrial enterprises have the necessary designs. Their introduction will not demand major costs and time,” the minister said.